August 06, 2010 10:35 PM UTC

Hooray! 18 Months Later, We Have a U.S. Attorney!

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• by: Colorado Pols

It only took 18 months to finally confirm the position, but John Walsh is now officially Colorado’s new U.S. Attorney. Walsh’s nomination was approved by unanimous consent last night. Press release from Sen. Mark Udall’s office after the jump:

Today, U.S. Senator Mark Udall praised the Senate for approving President Obama’s nomination of John Walsh to serve as U.S. Attorney for the District of Colorado.  Walsh’s nomination was approved by unanimous consent late Thursday.

Walsh, a Colorado native and a partner at Hill & Robbins, was nominated in April by President Obama after both Colorado Senators recommended him for the position.

“John is eminently qualified, and he’s one of the most civic-minded people I know.  He’s a Coloradan through and through and will serve us well,” Senator Udall said.  “Colorado has been without a permanent U.S. Attorney for nearly 19 months, and I’m very pleased that the Senate has approved his nomination.”

However, while the Senate was able to act on Walsh’s nomination, there is still a big backlog of judicial nominations that are being held up purely for partisan reasons – including William Martinez, whose nomination to the U.S. District Court in Colorado has been in limbo since April.  Five judges in the District of Colorado have been doing the work of seven for almost two years, and caseload has grown so heavy that the situation in the court is now classified as a “judicial emergency.”

Last week, Senator Udall led an effort with nine of his colleagues to try to convince Republicans to stop blocking Martinez’s nomination and that of several others.  Today, he pledged to continue fighting against partisan obstruction.  More information is available HERE.

“I’m frustrated with these partisan games that are only hurting the people our courts are supposed to serve,” Senator Udall said.  “But I’m not giving up.  I’m going to continue to work across the aisle to convince my colleagues that the time to fill these vacancies in our judicial system is now.”